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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29781993">Stay For A Minute Or Two</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpeedingCheetah/pseuds/SpeedingCheetah'>SpeedingCheetah</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>blnt fics ive wrote to rip my heart out subconsciously [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>better luck next time - Fandom, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>(actually nvm Aizawa already does it), Angst, Dadzawa, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I liked this prompt idea and now I wrote it so, Mentions of Suicide, Spin-off fic, Vigilantism, dadzawa time lets go, izuku is basically touch starved, someone give him a hug, triggers are in the notes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 02:22:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,109</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29781993</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpeedingCheetah/pseuds/SpeedingCheetah</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Izuku Midoriya was a teenager of many things; But mental-stability was <em>definitely</em> not one of them. He just wanted a hug; And if the world would ever be so nice, he’d be really grateful if he could get one.</p><p>  <em>He does.</em></p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead &amp; Midoriya Izuku</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>blnt fics ive wrote to rip my heart out subconsciously [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2195742</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>410</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Read it and Weep, better luck next time and related works, many thoughts. head full</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Stay For A Minute Or Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/nauticalwarrior/gifts">nauticalwarrior</a>.</li>


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28394571">better luck next time</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/nauticalwarrior/pseuds/nauticalwarrior">nauticalwarrior</a>.
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Trigger Warning:   <em>Mentions of Violence (Blood), Mentions of Death, Mentions of Suicide, Self-Harm, Neglect(Aldera), Emotion-Disruption, Concussion / Quirk Effects, Mention of A Car Crash..</em> I believe that’s all; Read with caution.</p><p>— — — </p><p>LOOK WHO'S BACK WITH ANOTHER <em>better luck next time</em> SIDE POV- At this point I’m gonna be writing so much blnt-izuku I won’t have anything else on my account hshajhshqnwj.   Seriously, I like the book a lot. </p><p>Safe reading! I felt like we needed more dadzawa in the blnt side-pov collection lol.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Alright, so doing things as Ace when he was already pushing exhaustion and lack of energy was probably <em>not</em> a good fucking idea.    Scratch that; It definitely was not a good idea by <em>any</em> means. </p><p>Did he still do it? </p><p>Yes; And at least he still managed to get shit done without failing miserably and needing to reset. That was the best he could currently do for himself, especially in the dead of night when he couldn’t do anything else, catching his breath from the constant movements he had previously done.</p><p>The pain radiated heavily in his legs, having jumped from a building’s roof so quickly he nearly lost his cool and thought his head would collide with the concrete and force him to reset without <em>wanting to.</em></p><p>That, clearly, would have been a mess in and out of itself.</p><p>So here he was on a roof, breathing steadily as his heart rate calmed down. He had fought some thugs on the rare occasion, but hadn’t expected to run into so many so soon after wiping out a large branch of their drug-ring. </p><p>It was tiresome, in all honesty. It always was, though, so he supposed he didn’t have any real reason to complain. Plus he hopped out of the crime scene just in time, leaving the unconscious thugs for the police who had been called to the area. Lucky for him, he had enough energy to avoid being caught by the authorities.</p><p>Or, most of the authorities.</p><p>There was always one who could find and track him down after leaving a scene. Always one hero who would nod in acknowledgement, choosing to listen to the information he had and then divulge in doing exactly what <em>Ace</em> had said to do. </p><p><em>Not Izuku, no.</em>   Izuku Midoriya was not a vigilante, after all. He was just some quirkless kid in the eyes of society, without any real purpose or meaning to the world’s evolution. </p><p>Just some kid that somehow managed to get into the Heroics-Course, and now was training to become a hero; Solely to give the middle finger to those who hadn’t believed he could. Then again, he also had the same drive to help others- To help others as he wished those same people would’ve helped him if he ever needed it.</p><p>It was a fever-dream, almost. </p><p>Playing the roles of a hero-in-training and yet already being one so young, illegal and yet powerful enough to make gang-rings go rigid with sudden realization when he came busting down their doors; Knowing exactly how to corner them in and let those with actual law-enforcing connections handle the rest. </p><p>He’d get the ball rolling, and the authorities would do the rest.</p><p>Most of them were good, and did their jobs accordingly. Most knew how to be decent people, against all odds. There were some stragglers, of course; The types of people who didn’t give two shits about the lower rings of society who had a weak quirk, or none at all.</p><p>But Izuku tried to ignore that, he tried to focus on what little good was left to enter his mind and bounce around in his seemingly-always-full skull. He tried so hard to show he trusted the system, even when his mind and instincts screamed at him not to.</p><p>As <em>Ace,</em>  though, he didn’t have to act that way. </p><p>When he was Ace, he could be whoever he wanted no matter what. He could do the things that Izuku Midoriya couldn’t, for he was a vigilante and didn’t have as many restrictions as heroes. If he needed to play dirty or become harsher than the average enforcer, he would. </p><p>He didn’t like it, no. But he’d rather handle the situation excessively than mess up and cost lives and more havoc to be created in society. Sure, people frowned at him when they learned of his lack of quirk; But he didn’t mind it as much anymore.</p><p>He’d gotten increasingly good at ignoring those stares. </p><p>Izuku had a quirk; He just couldn’t prove it to anyone but himself.  He couldn’t prove he possessed one, because in order to do that he’d have to die. By dying, everything reset.  The world started fresh again, lopping back before anyone else knew things had happened. </p><p>
  <em>Everyone but him.</em>
</p><p>Izuku swallowed the saliva in his mouth, looking at the lights blazing in the distance from cars on a road. Lamps flicked softly, neon bar-signs shining in the blackness that consumed heroes’ visions and made villains wander without fear.</p><p>His head was pounding, but he ignored it for the most part. He could reset, but at the same time he didn’t really want to go through the process right now. There was a lingering feeling in his mind, simple and yet somewhat uncomfortable to try and think about. </p><p>Instead of dwelling on it, he exhaled the air from his lungs, inhaling the cold wind that gently pulsed in the earth's atmosphere.  He looked up at the dark sky, hands feeling cold despite the aching in his wrists’ joints. </p><p>Shakily, he reached up and tugged the goggles off of his eyes and shoved them onto his forehead, blinking as light filtered into his pupils and making them shrink. It was bright and dark at the same time; And although he normally wouldn’t mind it, he knew something was up.</p><p>It was making him feel tired and heavy, and although he was yet to feel warmth trickle down his skin or soak into his clothes, he also knew some injuries were fully internal.   That would be a mess to try and fix, honestly. </p><p><em>It’s probably about Eleven right now.</em> His mind wandered, and he briefly tried to guess how long it’d take if he tried to return back to a safe-spot near his house. Surely his mother would be spooked at his late entry, but at least she wouldn’t be scared at the realization that he was Ace.</p><p>She already knew, after all.</p><p>He swallowed his saliva again, head feeling hazy. He might have a concussion, but he honestly didn’t know. The idea was rather startling, as he couldn’t just reset to try and fix it. <em>I probably won’t reset far enough back to prevent it.</em></p><p>Inching closer towards the edge of the rooftop, he exhaled and sat down; Close enough so he can jump off and use the alleys as an escape if all else fails. Then again, there wasn’t much that could fail him in situations like these; He could always reset a bit before truly needing to leave. </p><p>
  <em>Even if I would rather not.</em>
</p><p>He needed to get his head in the right place, to stop the thoughts from flooding his judgement and making him want to lean over the edge and fall off- To fall off and feel the <em>adrenaline.</em></p><p>It was a bad habit, a bad desire of his. He knew better than to act on it in public without any real reason; But he also knew there was a large chance of him going back home and cutting his wrists up so he could drown in his blood when he took a bath, like every night after he patrolled as Ace.</p><p>That’s why when he heard someone land on the roof, all he did was stare at the lights aft out in the city; Shining brightly and as if there was no villainy to ever become part of the limelight.</p><p>“Ace.” Came a voice, catching the freckled teen’s attention. He turned his head, blinking again and looking at the man who taught him and his classmates at UA. <em>I should have known you’d arrive.</em></p><p>His mind stumbled for a second, and for some odd reason he felt a wave of longing wash over him. The vigilante frowned inwardly, but quickly shook his head and offered a small wave to his teacher; Who had watched his gaze flicker and flash with complications that held no boundaries.</p><p>“Hi, Eraserhead.” Izuku replied, meeting his teacher’s gaze with a quiet tone. It wasn’t the same voice as how he would normally greet the hero, but in truth he felt really out of it. </p><p>It was weird, in a messed up roundabout way. </p><p>He looked back to the city below, sighing. “Lovely night, isn’t it?”</p><p>“Coming from you, when you should probably be asleep like every other teenager, it probably is.”  Aizawa said, walking over slowly and standing a few feet away from the vigilante. He gave the younger ‘hero’ a look, and Izuku smiled under his mask.    “What are you still on the scene, Ace?”</p><p>Izuku, having not exactly expected the question, blinked. He gave a nervous chuckle, looking back to the cities yet again. He didn’t know if he should try and leave yet, but anxiety would gnaw at him sooner than later. “Oh, uh.. Enjoying the cold air..”</p><p>Aizawa seemed to know that he was lying, and merely arched a brow at him as he walked forwards again. The teenager made no move to stop him, although he instinctively tensed up, going slightly rigid at the approach. “Waiting for someone, then?” </p><p><em>Waiting?</em> He paused, trying to think if that was what he was doing.  Did it really count as him waiting for someone, if anyone at all,  if he was <em>pretty sure</em> he had a concussion and he felt rather sick and nauseous. There was something wrong, he just had no clue as to what was making him feel so deteriorated.</p><p>The teenager gave a limp shrug, smiling under the mask he was wearing. He coughed a moment later, tasting a familiar copper on his tongue. Despite this, he waved one hand dismissively.  “Yeah.. Something along those lines.”</p><p>“Anyone I should know about?” His teacher inquired again, and his unknown student winced as if he had just been threatened to get hit. He knew that Aizawa took notice, but he felt too loopy to really care.</p><p>So he paused, thinking about some form of a lie. </p><p>Something believable. </p><p>“Mm..” Izuku thought about it, thought about what he was supposed to say, before he shook his head and looked back at his teacher. There was no reason for Aizawa to learn anything more than he had to; And there was no reason for Izuku to say anything he might regret when his head was in the right space later. “Not really, no.”</p><p>Aizawa had caught onto the notion that something was off, but had yet to bring it up. In a way, the kid found it slightly more tolerable if nothing was mentioned. If nothing about him being some freakishly tired and jumpy kid was brought up, he was pretty sure that he’d stay right where he was. </p><p>“I see.” His teacher’s reply was calm, and he stayed where he was on the roof, hands in his pockets.  It sounded like he wanted to say more, but refrained from doing so. Izuku didn’t know why, but he was grateful for the small action of patience. He was very grateful.</p><p>
  <em>Very grateful.</em>
</p><p>The kid stared at the buzzing lights and moving cars a good distance away, letting some thoughts of wanting to jump in front of them fill his head. <em>Would it hurt like all the other things I’ve done?</em></p><p>They stayed in silence again, and after what felt like a good ten minutes, Izuku cleared his throat and blinked away the fuzziness in his eyes.   It didn’t fully go away, but it did disappear enough for him to turn around  and adjust his position so he could glance back at the UA teacher.</p><p>“Er.. You're <em>not</em> going to arrest me right now, are you?” The kid’s tone wavered slightly, and if that wasn’t enough to portray the fact that something was causing him to act differently, the suddenly distracted and nearly anxious look in his dilated eyes was. </p><p>Aizawa let his gaze wander back at him, his attention switching from the sky right back to the vigilante on the edge of the roof; Who had changed sitting positions to turn his upper-torso to meet the hero’s gaze better. </p><p>The hero looked thoughtful for a moment, before shaking his head. “No, not tonight at least.” </p><p>Relief filled the vigilante’s gaze before he could stop it, sighing with succor at the lack of hostility being shown to him. If he had been any less aware of his surroundings, he would have missed the look of slight interest that passed over his indirect guardian’s face.</p><p>“Oh. Uhm, good.” He said, smiling under his mask again and giving a shaky thumbs up. His head felt warm and dizzy, and he knew it wasn’t a good feeling-  Even if it wasn’t actively making him hurt with <em>pain.</em></p><p>A curious stare was what followed, and he decided to risk asking a question that may or may not make the vigilante before him decide to get the hell out of the area, simply because his paranoia levels seemed to be out of balance today.   “What would you do if I had said I <em>was</em> going to?”</p><p>Izuku froze, feeling his mouth go dry, but still tasting the blood. Awkwardly he gave a small and nervous laugh, eyes flickering back and away from his teacher’s. “You <em>really</em> don’t need to know.”</p><p>But deep down, he knew his reasoning was only worth half of his sanity. He swallowed whatever blood was bathing his tongue, trying to close off his subconscious from thinking so loudly about the things he could do. <em>I don’t want to talk about what I’m willing to do.</em></p><p>“Foresight?” He checked.</p><p>“Yeah.” Came the reply, though there was nothing to look into.  </p><p>He would jump off the building immediately and let the impact kill him, so he could reset and run before his teacher would get the chance to arrive on the roof to have this conversation with him. “Just.. Quirk stuff.”</p><p>It went silent again. Aizawa knew talking to a vigilante over trivial things such as what he had done before wasn’t the best of ideas, but he also knew probing around for answers was a horrible and far worse option; So all he could do was subtly inquire little snippets of how the teenager acted in response to questions.</p><p>“Are you injured?” The adult finally asked, sighing lightly. His eyes stared at the vigilante, watching and waiting for some form of panic or defensiveness. The only thing he got was a look of confusion that appeared on the other’s face; Eyes flashing what looked like to be apprehension.</p><p>Izuku flinched after a moment’s delay, looking back to the city’s streets in the distance in mild confusion. He didn’t want to be interrogated right now, and felt far too out of it to actively try and fight against whatever might happen. “Hm?”</p><p>“Your speech is getting more slurred.” Concern lingered in Aizawa’s voice, seeping into his tone. He often didn’t let such a thing happen, but this time he did. He allowed it, solely because he felt that if he didn’t, the teenager before him probably wouldn’t understand a damn thing he said. </p><p>The adult’s predicament was correct. </p><p>Izuku blinked slowly. “Oh.”</p><p>“Are you?” He asked again, and the student undercover couldn’t help but feel a bit dizzy at the way his teacher actually cared about him. It was nice- The idea that someone besides his mother cared if he lived or died.</p><p>“Not sure.” Izuku said, shrugging again. He looked at the sky, watching the stars for a moment and then using one hand to gingerly touch a few vital places on his head, checking for a bump or blood. He wasn’t too concerned though, Aizawa could tell from his voice. “I hope not.. It’d be.. Messy.”</p><p>A few seconds went by, and then the vigilante responded to his prior statement. </p><p>“Nope,” He sighed again, shaking his head lightly and tapping his temple with one gloved hand. He smiled under his mask, a feeling of high washing over him. Everything felt mixed and weird, he just didn’t know why. “I’m not bleedin’.. I think it’s just a concuss’n. I’ll be okay.”</p><p>“That’s anything but ‘okay’,  Ace.” Aizawa said, quite dully. </p><p>The teenager paused, before shrugging again in a rather careless and tired manner. He felt really weird right now, like something had been pushed into his bloodstream. It probably wasn’t a concussion, and an effect of a gang member's quirk. If it was, it’d be a pain to go to school tomorrow. “I know.”</p><p>There was a stilled silence, and then the nearly cautious reply of his teacher. It sounded like he was trying to not reach over and grab him. How odd, actually.  No one cared enough to do that, so that’s why Izuku <em>kept letting himself die.</em>  </p><p>Spite was a funny thing.</p><p>“So why did you say you’d be fine?” Aizawa’s tone wasn’t harsh, but it wasn’t soft. It sounded much louder than it had originally been a few minutes ago, but that might’ve just been an effect from a quirk. Izuku should probably try and find something to cover his head with when he got home. </p><p>“Mm..” He paused, thinking of an answer. Of course, he didn’t come up with the most probable one, but at least it was better than him just shrugging and deflecting things like a shield. “I’ll just get somethin’ to numb it. It can’t be that bad if I’m still up and talkin’..”</p><p>The underground hero stared at him, as if he was in disbelief at the pure dismissal the vigilante had; Before he exhaled heavily and raised his hand gingerly.   “Can you follow my hand?”</p><p>
  <em>Can I follow something I can barely even see?</em>
</p><p>“Hm..?” Izuku looked back to his teacher, squinting at the movement in front of him. It was a slow paced blur, steadily moving. Despite this, he didn’t exactly follow the conversation, nor the shape of Aizawa’s hand. So he shook his head,   “Too much work.. Tir’d.”</p><p>There was a smile at the end of his words again, and it made the pro-hero who was currently debating risking the limited trust he had with the vigilante to take him to the hospital, or if he should just keep trying to talk the kid into doing it willingly. </p><p>Blackmail, almost, but Aizawa would rather make the kid hate him for life than let him die cold and without clarity for any of the things he’d die as a vigilante. That would just be.. Saddening. </p><p>So he chose to keep talking, to keep his ‘associate’ actively engaged. If something showed up,and it genuinely required him to call in for backup, he’d do so without a second thought. He merely hoped it wouldn’t come down to that, as the illegal before him probably would resent him for life once he was in a stable headspace. </p><p>“Ace, you <em>can’t</em> pass out here.” He said, resisting the urge to sigh.</p><p>Izuku, on the other hand, had no idea what the hell was happening anymore and merely shrugged; Feeling detached and disoriented. It was like being stuck in one of his classmates’ quirks- From his middle school. </p><p>She had pink fog that made you so dizzy, making your gaze spin and spin until you felt totally numb and yet so.. Calm. Calm and happy; Like laughing-gas from the dentist, almost.  The teenager was pretty sure that was what her quirk’s name was, ‘Laughing Gas’. </p><p>The girl could have been a really cool hero if she hadn’t died in a car accident in her second-year. </p><p>A wave of sadness washed over him, and he frowned again. He barely knew the girl, just knew she had a cool quirk and would use it on him once in a blue-moon to cheer him up if Katsuki got too loud or blew him up too much. He couldn’t even remember her name.</p><p><em>I’m not cut out for this.</em> Came a thought, and he blinked the sudden wariness and petty feelings away. He had never been cut out for things, but he still did them to soothe his own desires.   <em>I’m not. My arms are, though.</em></p><p>Izuku cleared his throat, speech still jumbled together and without any proper punctuation. “Would you arr’st me if I did?”</p><p>His teacher stared at him again.</p><p>The teenager returned the gaze, feeling sad without any reason to be. </p><p>“Begrudgingly so, yes. I’d get you proper medical care first; Hell knows you need it.”  Aizawa stated back, flatly. He didn’t expect to get a small laugh from the vigilante who fumbled with his goggles and pulled them back over his eyes; Preventing them from being seen any longer by the adult on the roof. </p><p>“I won’t fall asle.. <em>Asleep,</em>” He corrected, stumbling over his words with a small hum. His head was tilted down, looking at the alleyway below the building. If he fell, he could die quite easily. If he was caught mid-way while he fell, there’d be a whole lot more to try and deal with than a few broken bones that marked his failed attempt.  </p><p>“I jus’ feel dizzy.” He looked over the edge, feeling lost and yet as if he found a place he could be. It was a split-second decision, but he suddenly had the urge to throw himself off the edge and reset. <em>I always want to reset.</em> His mind whispered, but he didn’t try to listen as he got to his feet far too quickly; Head spinning as he looked at the drop <em>way</em> below the roof.</p><p>Izuku swallowed, before the world came crashing down and he felt his body tip forwards; Everything was a loud and melodic buzz in his ears. The wind whipped around his face for a minute, oddly comforting, before it went still.</p><p>Achingly still, for whatever reason.</p><p>“Ace.” Aizawa’s voice was sharp and made him snap to attention.</p><p>
  <em>Aizawa-Sensei is here, still.</em>
</p><p>It was warning and nearly fearful, even Izuku could tell in his high-like state. He felt something wrap around him before he could take another step off the edge, and then a warm hand grabbing his sleeve for extra precaution.</p><p>Izuku was too lost in a warm haze to understand, so all he did was blink under his visor and try and focus back in on the man on the roof with him-  Who was also the one holding him an inch away from falling off the building and hitting the concrete far below. “Mm..?”</p><p>His mind was fuzzy with whatever the quirk’s effects were, bringing him on a roller coaster of sadness and happiness. He wasn’t sure if it was the effects of a drug-quirk or not, but he knew that once his head was cleared and he had school tomorrow, this would be an utter pain to deal with the aftermath. </p><p>Izuku’s body was tired, but the drop from the building would have fixed it- Made him reset, of course, but something was clearly wrong in this situation and he didn’t know how to explain it. </p><p>
  <em>Maybe I can’t explain the feeling of wanting to die.</em>
</p><p>Aizawa’s capture-weapon was bound around the teenager, and there was a look of alarm and momentary shock in his teacher’s eyes. Izuku knew the expression well, recognized it more than he wished he did. The adult-hero met his rather blank and almost empty gaze from under his goggles; Their eyes never really meeting. </p><p>They were a combination of reflections and clear concern, that drawn-out concern you saw in movies after the main character had a cheesy and horrible played mental breakdown scene. They were never portrayed accurately in the movies, he’d never seen an accurate presentation that made a single ounce of sense. </p><p>“What are you doing?” His teacher asked, nearly inaudible.</p><p><em>I just tried to die.</em> Is what Izuku should have dared to say, he should have forced the words out of his mouth in favor of finally being honest to someone in his life.  <em>I tried to die and you stopped me.</em> </p><p>But alas, all the kid did was swallow and offer a weak shrug; Eyes glazed under his goggles with the effects of what was possibly an emotionally-depriving quirk. Perhaps it amplified current emotions, no matter what those emotions were.  It’d explain the burning urge to jump off the roof, but then again, when didn’t he want to reset? </p><p>Resetting was his escape, his way to become unaware and unresponsive to society and the cruel gazes that were bestowed upon him. That’s just what his quirk did; It allowed him to die and come back so he could breathe again.</p><p>So he could stay alive a bit more.</p><p>Aizawa’s expression was carefully blank, and he repeated himself. “<em>Ace.</em>” </p><p>“Oh-.. Oh, uhm, I forg’t you were ther’..” Izuku said after a few moments of debate, slowly, eyes probably widening at a very tedious pace. He looked to the hand that was holding his sleeve, and he swallowed again. <em>I keep making him worry. Why do I keep making everyone worry so much?</em> “I was.. Ah, sorry.” </p><p>
  <em>I’m not sorry.</em>
</p><p>“Ace.” The pro-hero nearly groaned, frustration lingering in his words. It wasn’t directed at the vigilante, but it certainly had relation to what the hell Izuku had just tried to do. In front of his teacher, no less.  “Don't apologize. You just-”</p><p>The vigilante swallowed, thinking back to all the times he’d narrowly avoided getting caught by his peers or mother while resetting himself. Todoroki knew something was up, and originally it had made Izuku so jumpy it became a hassle to try and stay calm. Now he felt so careless, as long as he denied whatever happened. </p><p>So he mumbled another small apology, as if it’d help him out of the grave he just dug. Trying to kill himself in front of a pro-hero who probably didn’t want him dead by any means was not one of his smartest moves.  “Sorry.” </p><p>“No, no.. What are you thinking right now?” Aizawa wished he was better with dealing with emotions- He wished he knew how to properly respond without sounding aggressive.  “You clearly have some form of a concussion, or have been affected by a quirk, it’s not your fault. I need you to try and focus and breathe. Stay awake.”</p><p>The adult was just concerned.</p><p>
  <em>Very concerned.</em>
</p><p>“Mm.. Era’erhead.” Izuku said, shaking his head lightly and inching away from the roof’s edge and back towards the hero who was making sure he didn’t try and throw himself off. He stumbled and then paused for a few seconds, as if he was trying his hardest to keep his balance. </p><p>He was, in all honesty. </p><p>Then he hummed, and his gaze flashed under his mirror goggles as he looked at the teacher who was keeping him away from the roof’s edge. “I just.. No, it’s oka’. Oh; Hey.”</p><p>Aizawa had no idea what to do in situations like this, but he managed to give a concerned and strained smile right back at the teenager, having the feeling that the vigilante was smiling under his mask at him. </p><p>He swallowed rather thickly,  “Hey.” </p><p>“Can I ask..” Izuku paused, trying to think of the words. They came to him, slowly and without much benefit.  He smiled sleepily, waving another arm for emphasis as to what he was even talking about. “A favo’?”</p><p>His head hurt.</p><p>“What kind of favor, Ace?” Aizawa said, as calmly as an adult who just watched what was probably a suicidal <em>teenager</em> nearly fall off a <em>six-story</em> building and try to die could.  He tried to soothe his nerves, tugging the kid closer away from the edge. “I can't let you go, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”</p><p>“Mm.. No, not tha’..” He shook his head; Before waving one hand in a tired and delirious fashion again. “Can I hug y’?” </p><p>Maybe a hug would make it all better.</p><p>The adult froze, hand still on the vigilante’s sleeve with his capture-weapon secured tightly around the other’s torso, just in case he started to lash out or get spooked and end up <em>actually</em> falling. “You want a <em>hug?</em>” </p><p>“A hug.” He agreed, tiredly. </p><p>It was a warm and silent statement, one that was asking for consolation- <em>For reassurance.</em> He wasn’t sure what made him ask his teacher for a hug, if all things; Especially when he was playing the role of Ace, and unwilling to risk exposing his identity. </p><p>But here he was, half-lucid, asking his teacher and possibly favorite hero in existence for an embrace so he could stop the sadness that was floating in his head, plaguing him with a sickness that longed for acceptance and comfort in the very moment. </p><p>“I don’ know if I’ll..” He nodded, implying whatever Aizawa wanted to think he was implying. It didn’t matter either way, because all he really wanted was to have a quick embrace before he snuck out of the situation like always. “I jus’ want one.. Jus’ in case..”</p><p>Izuku didn’t expect to be given such a thing, honestly, but when he heard a slow and rather cautious exhale, he thought he was about to be told he wouldn’t. He was very wrong, though. </p><p>Warm arms slowly brought him closer, and he went rigid. </p><p>The only person who listened to him when he asked anymore was his mother;  And that was because she fully knew he was balancing something more than just trying to be a hero and be a vigilante without dying. <em>I die all the time.  Mom just doesn’t know yet.</em></p><p>But he also knew that if his teacher was willing to listen to him-  And to actually allow him to get comfort; He was pretty sure he’d be perfectly fine come tomorrow morning. </p><p>Perfectly fine.</p><p>The teenager would figure out how to leave the scene in a few minutes; But right now, he was too caught up in the fact that he wasn’t being pushed away for his suicidal antics. In fact, it was quite the opposite. He was being held close, embraced in a loose but still ginger manner.</p><p>It was the type of hug that teacher’s gave their students. A type hug that adults gave their children, or when they’d smile softly and say that it’d all be okay.  How funny; Aizawa didn’t know who he <em>was.</em></p><p>His teacher was hugging him, hugging <em>Ace,</em> and nothing mattered.  Because if Aizawa was willing to hug some suicidal vigilante, then maybe he’d be willing to hug Izuku when he was at his lowest point in history, too. Maybe his teacher would actually care, unlike the rest of the teachers he’d had at Aldera. </p><p>Just maybe, maybe, he could stay for a minute or two.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading! I’m going to end up writing a lot more of these prompts tbh.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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